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A Cleanup at Brookhaven Is Not the Major Problem

The acceleration of the Federal cleanup of nuclear waste at Brookhaven was presented [In Brief, May 28] as possibly contingent on the support of Oak Ridge and Hanford. What is implied is that the waste problems in all three locations are similar. In fact the cost of the Hanford cleanup is estimated to be several tens of billions of dollars, and the Brookhaven cleanup roughly 1 percent of this number. The cost of the Brookhaven cleanup appears as ''noise'' in the Hanford budget.

As Senator Charles E. Schumer knows, the decision on accelerated budgeting will be made in Washington, D.C., not Washington State.

The only rational complaint that Hanford might make is a question of urgency. With laboratory critics complaining about exposure to less radiation than one gets on a commercial aiplane flight, perhaps the cleanup should be postponed and the funds used for productive basic research.

If the current laboratory administration at Brookhaven feels that this cleanup will get an issue off their backs, they don't understand people who refuse to be aware that mankind has been living with natural radioactivity for tens of thousands of years, inhaling carbon dioxide containing natural radiocarbon and eating bananas containing the natural radioactive isotope of potassium.

No cleanup can remove these hazards.

As one environmental lawyer was quoted, ''After three years, the site will not be cleansed.''